Game ON.

And to think I thought I was tired and busy last week. The whole "moving to another country next month" thing has gone into FULL SWING. Just yesterday I had two of my three doctor's appointments for the week (don't worry - I do not have the bacillary dysentery or scarlet fever the government of our new country is concerned about, these are just check ups), went to work, went to a meeting at church, spoke to the youth, and got up at 6 to do it all over again today. So in light of all of this, here is a pictorial display of the highlights of our past week:

The rose bushes in our front yard burst forth with FIVE of these beauties, which Baxter felt we should document for the sake of posterity.


I decided dealing with whole chickens was a valuable skill to acquire pre-move, so I went for it . . . kind of. I got squeamish and couldn't stick my hand in "there" to get out the inside stuff. I panicked, called Mom, and then decided to just leave all those parts alone. Who needs 'em? After overcoming the moment of potential upchuck, I pressed on, and it turned out DELISH!


And moving on to the only slightly more interesting news, we have officially begun to deconstruct our sweet home. This pic is from our cleaning out of the office last weekend. We now have piles, pictures and other mementos designated for specific parental units. Mom, Dad, Leon, Sandra - you're welcome.


And in similar news, the Bentley Publicity tour 2k10 has officially begun. This cutie in his native dress below was on his way to Kidzone at our church, where we both had the pleasure and privilege of sharing what God is doing in our lives to 2nd-6th graders. It was so great to just stop and share our excitement about this next step in our lives. There is so much to DO right now - it was really nice to just stop and think about WHY.


Last night we spoke to the youth group at our church, which was a wonderful way to wrap up a crazy day. A highlight was when afterward a 15 year old gave her tithe to Baxter, saying "she wasn't a member anywhere right now, but just wanted to be obedient to what God was doing." (TEAR.) That and hearing a 9 year old pray that we wouldn't get malaria have been sweet moments this past week. We are so deeply grateful for our church body during this process, and to see kids and teenagers truly desire to partner with us in what God is doing - is a high and holy gift. We are tired, but richly blessed and deeply thankful.